Michael Seswatha Jordan Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I found GotM better on a re-read, largely because on the first read it was a pain to follow what was going on.Re-read? Man, I loved Malazan, and never put it down til I was finished. But, I don't do self-torture. It took 9 months for me to finish it, along with the companion books, except one. I was actually a little relieved to be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 So for example, the information that I have right now in my head is this: Genoes Paran is a noble officer. The agent of the Empress asks him to go to a village to investigate about two people who went missing in a village where everyone else was killed by big wolves. He goes and see that said village is deserted. So they go to the Empress's palace through a dimensional warp and he meets his sister there. Did I get it right? Is that sufficient information to continue reading?(ETA: yes, I would say this even more information than what you actually need for the rest of the story actually) Hey, I may be a bit late here, but I want to share my experience as a fellow Frenchman who read the first five and a half books of the Malazan series: If you are like me, you probably try to concentrate hard on everything written and if something does not make sense you automatically assume it is because you missed something with your imperfect mastery of the given foreign language, so you reread and do not understand where the meaning is hidden... Do not do that with Malazan: it does not make sense, at first. You are not given base data. Just read superficially and it will go well: even the author forgets huge parts of previous plots, the continuity is a mess, and although some details are really important, most of everything, even what seems huge, is fluff. So read on, don't worry if half of the characters have unknown agenda, thoughts, backstories, or if you don't know the setting: just read as if you were watching a movie from the start of the second reel without having seen the first; and don't try to pay attention to details or subtle meanings: what you really need to know, you'll be hammered with it by the end of the climatic melodrama book. This being said, seeing as Malazan bored me into not even finishing the sixth book, I totally support re-selling GOTM to get an Abraham novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilusmagnus Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 If you are like me, you probably try to concentrate hard on everything written and if something does not make sense you automatically assume it is because you missed something with your imperfect mastery of the given foreign language, so you reread and do not understand where the meaning is hidden... Are you spying on my brain? In any case, thank you. J'aurais jamais dit que tu étais français. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRevanchist Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 For those who have finished Malazan, what is the most similar series to it right there? ASOIAF, Wheel of Time, Black Company, something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 In any case, thank you. J'aurais jamais dit que tu étais français. ;)Je ne sais pas si c'est un compliment ça :P For those who have finished Malazan, what is the most similar series to it right there? ASOIAF, Wheel of Time, Black Company, something else?None and all. What do you mean by "similar"? I'll throw this out there in the meantime: the most similar can be said to be Marvel comic books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 For those who have finished Malazan, what is the most similar series to it right there? ASOIAF, Wheel of Time, Black Company, something else? None and all. What do you mean by "similar"? Yeah... I'm with EB here. They are all fantasy, I'll give them that... but I wouldn't call any of them "similar." I've heard that the structure of the Bridgeburners in MBOTF was based on the soldiers in Black Company; but the scope is too vast to compare with any other work. (And I'm honestly not sure if that's a compliment or a complaint.) I would agree with what most said. GotM is certainly not the strongest book in the series. I would say that most settle on some combination of Deadhouse Gates and/or Memories of Ice as the strongest entries. I enjoyed the read, but I think that I would describe my reading pattern for the book as very superficial as well. It certainly doesn't make it any better in the long run when you consider that you don't even return to the setting of the book until about 6 doorstopper novels later. :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilusmagnus Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 I'll throw this out there in the meantime: the most similar can be said to be Marvel comic books. Is it really as incoherent and de-structured as Marvel comic books? In which case, I might actually sell the book back. A complex and immensely challenging worldbuilding may be worth the effort, but if it ends up being incoherent, then I don't see why I should put any energy into it. Please answer honestly to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
End of Disc One Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 For those who have finished Malazan, what is the most similar series to it right there? ASOIAF, Wheel of Time, Black Company, something else? From other books I've read, it seems to draw most of its inspiration from The Black Company Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Is it really as incoherent and de-structured as Marvel comic books? In which case, I might actually sell the book back. A complex and immensely challenging worldbuilding may be worth the effort, but if it ends up being incoherent, then I don't see why I should put any energy into it. Please answer honestly to that. That is my opinion of the series. I gave up on it after the 3rd book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Is it really as incoherent and de-structured as Marvel comic books? In which case, I might actually sell the book back. A complex and immensely challenging worldbuilding may be worth the effort, but if it ends up being incoherent, then I don't see why I should put any energy into it. Please answer honestly to that.Hmm, it definitely is a big mess of plots and subplots and inconsistencies that go nowhere, it does have and heaps and heaps of superpowered characters, it does often read as a teenage fantasy, it has indeed shallow pseudo philosophy you can gobble when you are fifteen, and there even are some retcons here and there... I also consider the worldbuilding in Malazan, to use a famous expression, to be millions of kilometres wide but one inch deep. But having said that, Malazan does have an overarching plot and is not incoherent. A lot of people disagree with my view on Malazan, typically though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gormenghast Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I've read chapter one. I have never experienced a more painful reading in my entire life. I don't know. Chapter one is solid and well written. It's chapter two that is rather bad. If Erikson ever agrees on doing a revision most of that chapter should be rewritten from scratch. But chapter one? It's good. Maybe a few bad lines of dialogue, but that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilusmagnus Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 I don't know. Chapter one is solid and well written.It's chapter two that is rather bad. If Erikson ever agrees on doing a revision most of that chapter should be rewritten from scratch.But chapter one? It's good. Maybe a few bad lines of dialogue, but that's it.Did you just actually cut my quote just before I said "It's not that it's bad" and then argued that the chapter was not bad? No scorn intended, but you have to admit it's quite laughable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 No scorn intended, but you have to admit it's quite laughable. Welcome to Gormenghast.And no, while it does have some inconsistencies, and a sprawling plot, Malazan is not incoherent, and each plot does lead somewhere, even though not every plot leads into the finale of the series, or indeed of the book it's in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Welcome to Gormenghast. And no, while it does have some inconsistencies, and a sprawling plot, Malazan is not incoherent, and each plot does lead somewhere, even though not every plot leads into the finale of the series, or indeed of the book it's in.Or a book written by the same author, or a book in the same series. Not sure if such a definition of "somewhere" does not meet that of "nowhere" at one point. :leaving: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Or a book written by the same author, or a book in the same series. Not sure if such a definition of "somewhere" does not meet that of "nowhere" at one point. :leaving: It's a fair point and I should have noted this for OP before: ICE's 'novel of the Malazan Empire' books aren't actually separate from the main series, despite the marketing. They continue several key plots from SE's books.They're awesome though, so if you happen to enjoy Malazan, that's a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilusmagnus Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 And are they somewhat easier to read? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRevanchist Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Je ne sais pas si c'est un compliment ça :P None and all. What do you mean by "similar"?I'll throw this out there in the meantime: the most similar can be said to be Marvel comic books.Similar as: LOTR being similar with WoT; ASOIAF being similar with The First Law; Kingskiller Chronicles being a bit similar with Raven's Shadow.I heard that it has been inspired from the Black Company, and that was a reason why I read the Black Company (as preparation). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlfrommonday Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Answering the topic question: Stupid was to borrow first three books from a friend, quit during third because I decided that in 85% I don't have a f***ing clue what's going on. Now I changed my mind, I have laid the blame on the translation, decided to buy first three books in english but I'm quite reclutant to start again because 1)the only thing I remember is endless misery on every page 2) my friend - clearly a fan - told me to make notes in the margin about almost everything because all this will be useful later. But as frustrated I am, I will conquer this books! ;) But as a former anthropology student, I remember really enjoying Erikson's bits and pieces about civilizations in his world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spark7 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I'm currently on the third book (Memories of ice), and I love the series (so far). I have to say i'm not what you would call a "trained reader", i'm not used to reading complex things. I had the same problem as you, but the more I read, the book was getting better. It's definitely not as smooth to read as ASOIAF and not in any way (apart from the genre) similar. Try and read the first 200 pages, and if you don't like it, return it, try something else. My suggestion is The Kingkiller Chronicle from Patrick Rothfuss :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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